Green Interior Design Ideas to Update Your Home Decor

Green interior design has improved a lot in the last few years. Modern design can be beautiful, luxurious and green.

So, you’ve been making changes and “going” green. Are you ready to take the next step? Sustainable living starts at home and updating your décor with a green interior design makeover should be at the top of your list for eco-friendly living.

Creating a plan for your green interior design doesn’t have to mean scrapping everything you have and starting over. After all, that wouldn’t be very green! But if you have a plan for your interior design, then as the time comes to replace different elements in your home, you will be ready to make green and sustainable choices.

And the good new is that green interior design has changed a lot in the last few years. Modern green design is no longer about “making do” with low-light bulbs, utilitarian wall coverings or uninspired furniture. Nor does having a sustainable interior design automatically have to mean “country kitsch.”

Today’s green living is full of choices—amazing low-voc paints, supple organic fabrics and sustainably-harvested wood floors and furniture. So, your home can be a true reflection of both your personality and your environmentally-conscious values.

Use these ideas to start making a plan for your green interior design, and get ready to give your home an eco-friendly makeover.

Sustainable Design Choices for Furniture

Depending on your redecorating budget, you can invest in sustainable wood furniture (such as bamboo or mango wood), or accomplish your eco-friendly goals by purchasing used furniture. If you are creative and/or handy, you can make your own interesting furniture out of recycled items.

Not all of your furniture has to be new. Consider buying some of the pieces second hand. You can find interesting really interesting furniture with character, history and charmCheck out yard sales, thrift shops, flea markets, and antique stores for some good deals.

Sustainable Flooring: Foundation for a Green Interior Design

Take up the synthetic, wall-to-wall carpet. Donate it to a charitable organization rather than throwing it into the trash (as long as it is in decent shape). If you have hardwood underneath, restore it with eco-friendly stains and varnishes. If you don’t have hardwood under your carpet, or if you just want some eco-friendly flooring options, consider the following:

Modular flooring tiles do not require adhesives, and can be laid down by the homeowner. They can be recycled when they wear out, or you want to redecorate again.

Linoleum is a natural, non-toxic flooring option that has been around for decades. True linoleum is different from vinyl flooring, which is what many people have in their homes and incorrectly call “linoleum.” Natural linoleum comes in a nice array of colors, and is very durable.

Recycled rubber flooring is available in tiles or sheets, and also comes in a surprising variety of colors and designs.

Wool carpetis an eco-friendly option if you want to have carpeted floors.

Design the Interior with Natural Light

Make the most of natural lighting whenever possible. Keep window treatments minimal to let in as much light as possible. Use light colors on walls and furniture. If privacy is an issue, consider window coverings that will let in light while obscuring the transparency of the glass. Find more lighting ideas that save electricity.

Paint the Interior: Green Comes in Many Colors

You don’t have to like the color green to use green paint. Eco-friendly paints come in a wide palette of colors to accommodate anyone’s taste. Look for paints low in or free from VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These are the chemicals that “out-gas” from conventional paints that can cause headaches and respiratory problems. Eco-friendly paints are pigment-rich, meaning you will not need to put on as many coats. This offsets the expense.

Changing the color of your walls is a great way to bring significant change to a room. As you are preparing to paint, use old sheets or reusable tarps to cover your floors and furniture, rather than disposable, plastic drop-cloths. Look for paint trays that are reusable and/or made from recycled materials.

Other Green Interior Design Ideas to Cover your Walls

You don’t have to use paint at all. Conventional wallpaper, with its chemical adhesive, is not necessary either. Consider creative, innovative wall coverings, such as:

Comments

Window treatments are another great way to add some “green” to your home. Natural Shades are made from sustainable materials such as jute and bamboo without any chemicals. They also help improve your home’s energy efficiency. Check them out at greenbaliblinds.com.

Going green is really the “in” trend, this does not only help us to save money but saving nature as well. Great ideas by the way, specially the use of paper bags on walls, i think im going to try this one.

The great news about interior design, home furnishings, and decor is that many of our products always have been green. Until the last thirty years, most homes were built with natural materials, we are just a little too addicted to energy. I think the trick to a green interior is to add more windows, and natural light to illuminate, and to choose energy efficient appliances.

I couldn’t agree more because all you’ve said are absolutely true! Imagine that it would save you quite a bit of money and at the same time help our environment too. It is probably the time that I consider a renovation or remodeling our floor, it would probably be good for me to look into nice tile. That way, it would look more greener and I am sure that just starting with this will really help make my home look nicer and greener!

True! Very much speaks truth to green living. I’m trying to make my home look and feel more green-friendly, that’s why I’ve been doing remodelling jobs just to have an environment-friendly home. The recent job I did was having my floor resurfaced. I was hesitant at first, but with much research, I found that not only is decorative concrete helpful and an eco-friendly flooring material, but also saves you much time on maintenance. http://www.sundekofpa.com/decorative-concrete-myths/

The use of polyurea polyaspartics to a concrete garage floor can also help out if you’re slowly getting into green living. It has low VOCs too, which means that you’re garage area will be free from harmful chemicals and gases.

I have been following your event since a long time and these recommendations are great. I want to add that, the more minimalist we can get is better. It’s better to fill the room with less furniture. Again, bamboo furniture has a great potential.

These are really great Ideas! We are moving to our new house and I was already looking for helpful decor and design ideas. There is a lot of work that we need to do in order to create the atmosphere of our home! Thanks for these ideas.